Dr. Gridlock: November 14, 2010 - November 20, 2010

With the busy Thanksgiving travel season upon us, the increasing deployment of full-body scanners at airports has civil libertarians and members of the flying public concerned about screening procedures. Transportation Security Administration Administrator John S. Pistole issued a video message " to offer a few tips and some important information we'd like you to know before you go through security," including the rights of travelers faced with the new methods.

Lane closures on two bridges will affect D.C. traffic this weekend. The District Department of Transportation plans to close two right lanes on the inbound 14th Street Bridge Saturday from 6 to 10 a.m. to place steel plates. DDOT plans...

The District Department of Transportation plans to close two of the three northbound lanes on Kenilworth Avenue near the Eastern Avenue Bridge from 5 to 8 a.m. Saturday. Crews plan to install and activate lights for new overhead signs at...

Virginia Railway Express officials will move forward with their plan to install free wireless Internet in some passenger cars.
During Friday's VRE Operations Board meeting, the board gave VRE Chief Executive Officer Dale Zehner approval to issue a request for quotes for the purchase and installation of multi-radio wireless routers.

2:48 p.m. Update: MARC 424 is operating about 20 minutes late approaching Seabrook, according to the MTA. 2:40 p.m. Update:Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said a diesel is on the scene to move the disabled Acela. Kulm said that about 12:25...

Dr. Gridlock will be answering questions about holiday travel and transit on Monday at noon in a live chat. If you have questions about your Thanksgiving trip or any other commuter topics, submit your questions here.

The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to lift all temporary lane closures beginning at noon Wednesday and continuing through noon Monday, Nov 29. VDOT is trying to lessen the potential for delays during the busy Thanksgiving travel period. Officials...

Transportation officials from Arlington and Fairfax counties gathered community comments regarding the five-mile Columbia Pike Streetcar plan as they prepare the documentation to apply for federal funding.

The Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) train service will not operate on Thanksgiving or the Friday after the holiday. Virginia Railway Express will not operate on Thanksgiving but will operate on a limited "S" schedule the day after the holiday....

Does your boss expect you to be talking on the phone or texting while you are driving? A new survey of Capital Beltway drivers found that half of them say they are at least occasionally using the phone to respond to work issues. Only 18 percent said they never get on the phone for work.

11.19.10 Update: Responding to all of the discussion about body scanners and the new pat-downs, the TSA posted its own set of "facts" and "myths" about its blog. Here's a sample: Myth: Airports can opt-out of TSA screening. Fact: All...

Some Virginia Railway Express riders may experience delays Thursday evening following the cancellation of a morning Manassas Line train, rail officials said. Train 332 out of Broad Run experienced a mechanical failure Thursday morning and riders were given the option of taking Metro for free, VRE officials said. Train 332 is still waiting for a spare engine to couple with so that it can get to Union Station for the evening commute. If this does not happen in time, Train 335 out of Union Station will be canceled, VRE officials said.

MARC 538 will be two cars short. The Maryland Transit Administration says you should expect overcrowding. 6:29 p.m. Update: Camden Line Train 855 is running about 45 minutes late; Camden 854 is expected to depart Union Station 10 to 15...

Interstate 66 westbound will close overnight Thursday at the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. because of work on the Metro extension to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County. Traffic will be detoured to the...

If you're planning on traveling I-95 through the Newark Toll Plaza for Thanksgiving, it may be time to develop an alternate plan. The Delaware Department of Transportation is warning drivers that backups will be even worse than in past years...

New turning lanes, dedicated ramps to I-395 and a pedestrian bridge are being recommended by Virginia Department of Transportation officials to help improve traffic around the Mark Center in Alexandria. However, there is currently no funding for them. Michael Snare,...

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense are broadening the airspace for commercial flights during Thanksgiving week. The agreement will allow commercial planes to fly through restricted airspace from 6 a.m. Tuesday through 6 a.m. Nov. 29. "We...

U.S. airlines must have cockpit windows on their Boeing 747 jetliners inspected or replaced after reports of fires on other Boeing planes, the Federal Aviation Administration said.The order is aimed at eliminating loose connections in the electrical system that heats...

12:40 p.m. Update: Train service has returned to normal in both directions. 12:26 p.m. Update: Montgomery County Fire Rescue Capt. Oscar Garcia says no injuries were reported and paramedics have not responded. 12:20 p.m. Update: Metro staff are collecting more...

Frustration over Metro's continuing escalator problems is reaching critical mass as the board of directors wrestles with how to tackle the perennial issue.
Board members are discussing Metro's ongoing maintenance issues during a meeting Thursday morning, with some members expressing frustration at the agency's seeming inability to solve its escalator woes.
A recent independent audit uncovered widespread deficiencies in Metro's escalator brakes as well as a lack of adherence to escalator maintenance standards. The report suggests that the failure of the moving staircase at L'Enfant Plaza that injured six people last month was not an isolated problem but an accident waiting to happen, escalator experts have said.

Metro provides transit service to the D.C. region's three airports, but has no specific plans to boost that service for the Thanksgiving getaway and return. Instead, Metro officials say they will monitor the number of people using the trains and the B30 and 5A airport buses, and add service if needed.

The Capital Beltway's outer loop will be narrowed on its south side in Virginia this weekend, and traffic delays are very likely. Managers with the Wilson Bridge project, which is doing the work, recommend that drivers avoid the area from 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday evening. Here's the plan.

etro spokesman Reginald Woodruff said construction work going on outside of Farragut North Station, unrelated to Metro, has caused small pieces of concrete or other materials to fall from the ceiling to the platform near Track 2 on the Connecticut and L Street side of the station.

7:56 p.m. Update: Farragut North is now closed, according to Metro. Shuttle buses have been requested. 7:52 p.m. Update: A Metro employee and a transit police officer told the Post's Ann Scott Tyson that Farragut North will be closed as...

Nearly 58,000 jobs tied to Dulles International and Reagan National airports have been lost in the past four years, and the average visitor to Washington spent $90 less per trip last year compared to 2005, according to an economic impact...

MARC riders on the Brunswick Line can ride Metro for free this afternoon by showing their tickets to station managers on the Red Line. The Maryland Transit Administration said the option is available because of the delays Wednesday morning on...

4:25 p.m. Update: Broad Branch Road has reopened, according to DDOT. Original post: Broad Branch Road between Beach Drive and Brandywine Street in Northwest Washington is closed because of a fallen tree, according to the District Department of Transportation. Crews...

The MARC Riders Advisory Council plans to meet on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Room 337 of the Hall of the States building, 444 North Capitol St. in Northwest Washington. The meeting is open to the public....

The Defense Department Inspector General's office is investigating the plan to move 6,400 defense employees to the Mark Center, at I-395 and Seminary Road in Alexandria, according to U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). "This is potentially the worst transportation crisis...

Mechanical problems on three Virginia Railway Express trains caused significant delays for commuters Wednesday morning and will affect the afternoon commute as crews reset the trains and rearrange the configurations. VRE officials said Fredericksburg Line trains 300, 302 and 304...

[This post will be updated] 12:10 p.m. update: Metro Board of Directors Chairman Peter Benjamin issued the following statement in response to the release of the task force's report: "We understand the critical role of Metro governance in providing safe,...

Transportation Security Administrator John. S Pistole told a Congressional committee Wednesday morning that he and other senior members of the Department of Homeland Security have all experienced the enhanced "pat-downs" recently implemented as an airport screening tool.
Pistole was responding to a question from Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) during testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee. The panel is holding a TSA oversight hearing and it is Pistole's first appearance since being confirmed this summer.
The pat-down "is thorough," Pistole told the members. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was one of the officials who experienced the pat-down, he said. Officials wanted to fully understand the screening procedure before it was implemented, he added. Pistole also offered to have a qualified TSA officer perform the pat-down on any member of the committee who wants one.

The Metro Riders' Advisory Council will discuss a draft report on Metro governance Wednesday night during a special public meeting at the transit authority's headquarters.
The council recently reviewed the structure of Metro and is making recommendations on how it believes the structure should be changed.The process included seven public meetings throughout the summer and fall and discussions with current and former board members.

11:35 a.m. Update: Permanent repairs to the bridge, damaged by a flatbed truck carrying construction equipment, should be finished within the next 24 hours, MWAA officials said. 7:55 a.m. Update: The eastbound lanes have all reopened, according to the airports...

Amtrak plans to roll out extra trains next week to meet the expected demand of travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday. The rail agency said it has scheduled extra trains in the Northeast, Midwest and on the West Coast. Amtrak expects...

With the launch of Capital Bikeshare, Arlington and the District positioned themselves to join the likes of European capitals where bike-sharing programs have been longstanding and cycling even more integrated into everyday life.

Just as the Ohio Drive reconstruction is wrapping up, the National Park Service this week launched an 18-month project to repair and rebuild parts of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway between P Street NW and Calvert Street NW, and an area along Cathedral Avenue.

With so many states passing distracted driving laws, Thanksgiving travelers might find it hard to keep track of what kind of cell phone use is illegal in each state.
Illume Software, creators of the iZUP cell phone application, launched a new feature to help clear up some of the confusion this holiday.

Arlington County transportation planners and economic development officials were on hand Monday night at Tuckahoe Elementary School to explain the proposed East Falls Church redevelopment plan to about 60 residents. The proposed East Falls Church Plan is intended to provide...

Anyone with ideas about how downtown Wheaton should be redeveloped can share their thoughts Wednesday evening at a community workshop with Montgomery County officials, developers and Metro officials who are creating a plan for the area.After a presentation by the...

The District this morning unveiled its first public, curbside electric car charging station, located at the Franklin D. Reeves Center on 14th St. NW, with two spaces for charging vehicles. Mayor Adrian Fenty was joined by Department of Energy Undersecretary Cathy Zoi and District Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein for the opening.

[This post will be updated] 1:25 p.m. Update: A Metro bus rear-ended a vehicle just before noon Tuesday in the 4000 block of East Capitol Street NE, injuring at least nine people, according to a Metro official. A 96 bus...

The Virginia Department of Transportation this afternoon plans to open the southbound lanes of Fullerton Road at its new interchange with the Fairfax County Parkway. On Thursday, drivers should be able to use the northbound lanes, as well. Motorists coming from Backlick Road will have direct access to Fullerton, which will pass beneath the new section of the parkway.

The two right lanes of the westbound Dulles Toll Road will be closed between the Beulah Road overpass and the Hunter Mill Road exit between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. tonight through Wednesday night, Nov. 17 so utility work can take place.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it was expanding its national "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to the Washington region, as the agency continued to weather criticism over its intensified airport screening measures.

DC2NY is adding a new bus service connecting Northern Virginia to New York City. Beginning Nov. 23--just in time for Thanksgiving--riders can take a New York-bound bus from the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and the Franconia/Springfield Metrorail stops.

The Redskins play the Eagles at FedEx Field at 8:30 p.m. That means extra crowding on the Capital Beltway and other roadways near Landover, as well as on Metro's Blue Line. The Capital Weather Gang's SkinsCast calls for temperatures in the 50s, with a slight chance of rain. Here's what you need to know about getting to and from the game.

Travelers should look for rain on Tuesday and a generally cooler week. There are games or events at Verizon Center each night, which is likely to cause congestion around Gallery Place late in the evening rush. But the big sports event is Monday night football at FedEx Field. There's a little more off-peak work to be done on Ohio Drive. See that and more about what's ahead.

10 a.m. Update: Rail advocates sketched a vision Monday for a 17,000-mile network linking U.S. cities with electric trains capable of traveling at 220 miles per hour. Hundreds of politicians, business leaders, urban planners and academics gathered in New...